Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I find a lip scrub extremely useful in getting rid of dry or peeling skin on my lips and maintaining soft and healthy lips. This ensures that you will be able to apply your lip gloss or lipstick evenly. It also makes your lips look better.

If you do not want to buy a lip scrub, you can always use a soft baby toothbrush to gently exfoliate your lips too.

I enjoy using this lip scrub, the rice powder gives it a grainy texture but it is not too rough on the lips. I go over this twice on my lips and then use a tissue to wipe it off. Then I apply a generous layer of Rosebud Lip Salve before I go to bed. The next day, my lips are baby soft.

This cost USD $19 for 0.12 oz.

The other lip scrub worth mentioning is Lipscuff from The Body Shop. This was my very first foray into lip exfoliation. This lip scrub is rougher and not as enjoyable to use but it does get its job done.

Taken from The Body Shop website.

Best if you want to: Say goodbye to dry, chapped lips and prep your pucker for lipstick by removing dead skin cells.

Best for: all skin types, but especially dry, chapped lips.

What it is designed to do:Crushed fig stone granules help to gently remove dead skin cells.Macadamia nut oil moisturizes while peppermint oil provides a naturally refreshing menthol scent.Moisturizing Community Trade marula oil from Namibia leaves lips soft and supple.Organic Community Trade beeswax from Zambia moisturizes and conditions skin.

This cost USD $12 for 0.14 oz.

So as price point goes the lipscuff from the Body Shop is a better buy since both work equally well. But if you want a little more luxury I would suggest Korres.

Monday, September 21, 2009

I have had my MAC eyeshadows for ages. MAC Eyeshadows are always great quality makeup. I especially heart the Veluxe Pearl finishes that are very pigmented and shiny.

Well to tell you the truth though, I got bored of MAC products. Occasionally something exciting gets released and I would buy but lately I found nothing that excites me in MAC. I think it has to do with the constant new releases and the rehashing of old eyeshadows. It got quite hard to keep up and honestly it became very blah.

But as a beginner to makeup or MAC I say always wait for their palettes which are great in value and versatility.

From top to bottom, left to right.

White Frost, Shroom and Nanogold.

Lingerie Pink, Neutral Pink and Retrospeck.

White Frost, Shroom and Nanogold.

Retrospeck, Lingerie Pink and Neutral Pink.

(I must say how I hate Lingerie Pink, it looks so nice on the pan but is very sheer.)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Giorgio Armani sale ended this morning. Whew! I managed to get a few things before it ended.

Work had been hectic and I've been deliberating over what items I should get. I love GA products. My first items were their Brilliant Shine and Sheer lipsticks which were moisturising and very pretty. I can't get it here in Singapore so when I go to Hong Kong I try to buy one or two items (not that I go there a lot). Just this year my family went to Hong Kong for a Disneyland trip and I managed to visit their store and tried out their base products. I fell in love with every item. You can read about my raves here. Yes I agree GA is very expensive but I believe the quality of its products justify the cost. Every item I have bought so far has not disappointed me so far.

The Lasting Silk UV Foundation in my Holy Grail. Not only does the shade match perfectly to my skin tone it helps me stay matt all day and feels light as air. Coverage is excellent and I require only one pump to cover my entire face.So these were the items I bought.

Lasting Silk UV Foundation in shade 7 (My backup)

Luminous Silk Powder in Shade 7

This ultra-fine pressed powder is formulated with soft, silk-like powders and radiant particles for a luminous, soft matte finish. The armani-exclusive Micro-fil™ formula blends perfectly to correct imperfections while it gently veils the skin in silky, comfortable color.

Friday, September 11, 2009

I was recently given the Creamy Makeup Base Mat by a really nice SA after I bought the Mystique Cheek blush. RMK is well known in Japan for their base makeup and I was really excited to give this a try.

It comes in 3 shades, 00 is a transparent shade, 01 is a pink beige and 03 is a beige shade.

Taken from the website

The creamy texture blends in smoothly and uniformly, covering troublesome areas, such as open pores, skin unevenness, dullness and color irregularities. RMK Creamy Make up Base Mat covers skin with a super-fine veil that leaves a natural bare looking matte finish.

I was given shade 00 which looks whitish in the tube but when blended becomes transparent. Upon application, my face is matt and smooth. It fills up my pores and helped my foundation go on smoothly.

For experimentation sake, I tried it under two of my foundations. Giorgio Armani's Lasting Silk foundation and Chanel's Pro Lumiere. Unfortunately, when it comes to helping my face stay matt, this falls short. It had to blot my face after 2 hours of wear. Unlike MAC's Prep and Prime and GA's Fluid Master which helped me to stay virtually oil free for more than 8 hours of wear. What a disappointment!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

I'm not sure why but recently I've been a lip gloss maniac. These are my recent additions, Korres Cherry Oil Lip gloss in Orange (top) and Coral (bottom). I was at the newly opened Korres store in Ion. Korres had a 30% discount on their website so I went down to compare prices and do some swatching. I fell in love with both Coral and Orange so so those were immediately put into my Korres shopping cart. I waited patiently for them to arrive and now they are here.

These lip glosses come with a stiff doe foot applicator that does its job of applying lip gloss to your lips evenly. I love the textures of these lip glosses. Better than Dior's Gloss Reflect which simply slid and slided all over my lips when I applied lip balm before hand. These lip glosses and not tacky and they apply so well on my lips. They stay put. They are slightly scented with cherries. Very pleasant. They aren't long lasting but do survive a sip of water but not a full meal. They are moisturising too. My lips still feel soft and moisturised after usage. Reapplication was easy. If I were to compare these with my recent YSL's Gloss Volupte purchase I would say that Korres has better pigmentation but Gloss Volupte is glossier and feels like heaven on the lips.

Orange (left) is a sheer orange whereas Coral (left) is darker. They are sheer colors with minimal shimmer. Coral has more visible gold shimmer but they are still not visible on my lips.

I received this sample in Fuchsia. The color looks really strong and I'm not sure I can pull it off. Perhaps it will come out a sheer cherry pink.

These lip glosses sell for USD $16. They cost a whopping $30 in Singapore. If the 30% discount is still on at the website, they are really worth picking up.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

I bought this quad in 2008 when it was released as a summer collection. I bought this just before getting the Dior Summer Star Quint.

I use this less often than Dior Summer Star just because I like the pigmentation in the Dior Quint better. When applied, they are bright pops of colour on my eyes. I love the pink and peach shade best. The khaki colour makes a great eye liner.

Monday, September 7, 2009

This is my Earth Reflection's Quint. I rarely use this, I find the browns too cool for me. The beige and champagne shades are also too shimmery and light.

As you can see, the one on the left hand side is the shade found in the middle of the palette. The one in the middle is the lightest shade and the one on the right is the beige shade. When swatched together you can't tell much of a difference

Sunday, September 6, 2009

I'm taking out all my eyeshadows and swatching them for the fun of it. I hope you will enjoy them.

I love Dior Iridescent Quints, they have very good pigmentation and blend very well. They are soft and when applied they have an wet look to them.

Taken from the website:

The star eye shadow palette now sparkles with iridescence. The "ultra-wet", metal-like colors make the eyes glitter, creating a made -to-measure look for the daring woman. The unique Wet Reflect™ technology saturates a whole new generation of powders with pearlescent particles, for never-before-seen brilliance. With its gliding feel and even, ultra-luminous finish, the silky, almost creamy texture blends perfectly into the eyelid.

Beauty tip: To highlight, apply the lightest shade to the inner corner of the eyelid. To deepen and intensify the eyes, apply the darkest shade along the upper row of lashes, blending outward. To add more dimension: blend in a third shade of your choice over the eyelid and outer corner of the eyebrow arch.

Summer Star palette belongs to the 2008 summer collection. It was a limited edition piece.

The colour on the left hand side is the shade in the middle of the palette. I find the middle colour way to shimmery and bright to use as a highlight colour for my brows. I love the pink and khaki shade best.